Execution to include special pillow so man can breathe while he dies

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio started final preparations Tuesday for executing a sick inmate who will be provided a wedge-shaped pillow to help him breathe as he’s put to death this week.

Death row prisoner Alva Campbell, who has said he is too ill for lethal injection, became mildly agitated when officials tried lowering him to a normal execution position during an exam last month, according to a medical review by a physician contractor for the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

Dr. James McWeeney noted there were no objective findings such as increased pulse rate or breathing to corroborate Campbell’s anxiety. Nevertheless, he recommended allowing Campbell to lie “in a semi-recumbent position” during the execution.

The same exam failed to find veins suitable for inserting an IV on either of Campbell’s arms.